Flores de Mayo in the Philippines
The month of May is typically awaited in sunny, tropical Philippines because for one, it signifies the end of the hot summer months. Light showers begin to fall and beautiful flowers start to bloom all over the archipelago. That's enough cause for a celebration, don't you think? The Filipinos definitely agree.
The Flores de Mayo (from Spanish, "Flowers of May") , sometimes referred to as Flores de Maria (or "Flowers of Mary"), is a month-long flower festival held every time May rolls by in the Philippines and is essentially a Catholic festivity that honors the Blessed Virgin Mary. In many provinces, townsfolk would gather colorful flowers and bring them to their respective parishes and offer them to the statues and images of the Virgin Mary. Parishioners would also congregate in the afternoons to pray the rosary and then partake of their town's native delicacies. Adults and children alike, dressed in their Sunday best, perform in musical programs where they sing and dance to welcome the May showers that will ensure the growth of their crops.
The month-long Flores de Mayo culminates with a religious-historical beauty pageant and procession called the Santacruzan.
The Santacruzan represents Reina Elena's (or Queen Helena, mother of Constantine the Great) search for the Holy Cross. After the Holy Cross was found in Jerusalem and brought back to Rome, a huge celebration was held in thanksgiving.
Nine days of prayer (also known as anovena) in honor of the Holy Cross precedes the Santacruzan. The pageant and procession involves having several young ladies represent various Biblical women and Queens and their escorts, finishing with the awaited Reina Elena holding a small cross in her arms to represent the Holy Cross. She is accompanied by a little boy that represents her son Constantine.
The role of Reina Elena is usually awarded to the most beautiful girl in the procession and in some communities, the identity of the woman who will play Reyna Elena is kept a secret until the day of the procession.
Movie and television personalities usually take part in the procession, often featured as "major" sagalas or Queens (from the Spanish word Zagala meaning "little sheperdess") and escorts. Update
References: Wikipedia / PhilippineCountry.com
The photos are by JOSEPH ANDIE R. LAMUG, shared on Flickr via a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial License
Videos depicting typical Flores de Mayo celebrations
The first one is a video that shows a traditional Philippine Santacruzan held in Rizal, a province in the Philippines.
The second video is a news feature on a Filipino style Flores de Mayo celebration in the United States.
